IN THE SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL

Join Practical Photography on an unforgettable trip to Chernobyl, the site of the world’s largest nuclear power plant accident. These days, it’s a ghostlike location that many have heard of, but few have visited. Seize the opportunity to join in on this special photo adventure under the leadership of award-winning photographer, Mats Andersson.

Abandoned buildings slowly taken over by nature, a Ferris wheel that has long stopped spinning, and an abandoned doll in one of the now empty houses. We are in the ghost town of Pripyat right by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to photograph an area that was evacuated and abandoned in the terrible nuclear accident of 1986. As we walk around this once bustling area with our cameras under the direction of Mats Andersson, it’s as if time has stood still. Mats, with his unique imagery of suggestive and dark images, will show how to best use the surroundings to create atmospheric images.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Photographing the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Capturing the ghost town of Pripyat.

Exploring famous locations such as the Ferris wheel and the fairground.

Walking through abandoned buildings taken over by nature.

Meeting locals who have moved back into the secured zone.

Talking to local guide with extensive experience of guiding photographers.

Join Practical Photography on an unforgettable trip toChernobyl, the site of the world’s largest nuclear power plant accident. Thesedays, it’s aghostlike location that many have heard of, but few have visited.Seize the opportunity to join in on this special photoadventure under theleadership of award-winning photographer, Mats Andersson.

Abandoned buildings slowly taken over by nature, a Ferris wheel that has long stopped spinning, and an abandoned doll in one of the now empty houses. We are in the ghost town of Pripyat right by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to photograph an area that was evacuated and abandoned in the terrible nuclear accident of 1986. As we walk around this once bustling area with our cameras under the direction of Mats Andersson, it’s as if time has stood still. Mats, with his unique imagery of suggestive and dark images, will show how to best use the surroundings to create atmospheric images.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Photographing the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Capturing the ghost town of Pripyat.

Exploring famous locations such as the Ferris wheel and the fairground.

Walking through abandoned buildings taken over by nature.

Meeting locals who have moved back into the secured zone.

Talking to local guide with extensive experience of guiding photographers.

DESTINATION INFO

DESTINATION INFO

CHERNOBYL/PRIPYAT

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was hit in the spring of 1986 by a terrible accident when reactor four was destroyed by an explosion and large amounts of radioactive radiation leaked. The accident, the worst nuclear reactor accident in the world, was a combination of several different factors and both the design of the reactor and the human factor played a role in the course of events. The areas most affected were in Ukraine and Belarus, where large areas are still closed today due to excessive radiation. The city of Pripyat is located only three kilometres from the nuclear power plant and was erected for people who worked at the power plant. At the time of the accident Pripyat was home to about 50,000 inhabitants. The city was evacuated and has since been an empty ghost town. Over the last ten years Chernobyl has become a very popular destination. People who previously lived in the area, photographers and tourists now visit Chernobyl annually to experience the consequences of the indescribable disaster that hit Chernobyl in 1986.

SAFETY & RADIATION TODAY

The radiation and radioactivity that remain in Chernobyl today are not harmfulor dangerous for people visiting the area.During a few days staying in theinner zone of Chernobyl, the human body receives a dose of radioactivitycorresponding toan X-ray in a hospital or a flight between two continents(radiation in the aircraft). In numbers, this means that you will beexposed toapproximately 8 micro sieverts of gamma radiation, which is a perfectlyharmless dose of radiation. As acomparison, most nuclear power plants in theworld have a safety level of 50-100 micro sieverts per day for those who workthere.

TOUR ITINERARY

TOUR ITINERARY

September 16-20, 2020

Fly to Ukraine and Kiev on your own. As many of you prefer to book yourselves,we have chosen not to include this in theprice. For more information aboutflying to Kiev, look under the “Transport”-section.

DAY 1 (16/9) – WELCOME TO UKRAINE After arriving in Kiev in the afternoon, you will check in at our hotel where you will be met by Mats Andersson and a travel host from Zoom Photo Tours. During the evening we’ll enjoy a welcome dinner together in Kiev where you’ll have the opportunity to talk about our upcoming photo adventures. (D)

DAY 2 (17/9) – KIEV TO CHERNOBYL After breakfast we’ll leave our hotel in Kiev and travel to Chernobyl about 15 km from the capital. After arriving at Chernobyl, checking in at our hotel, and having lunch, we’ll spend the afternoon exploring the long-abandoned surroundings of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Among other things, we’ll visit some abandoned villages and meet some of those who previously lived in the sealed-off area, and who have moved back to their small houses and farms of their own accord.

Back at the hotel we’ll listen to an inspiring lecture by Mats where he’ll give top tips and advice for our upcoming days of photography in the inner zone of Chernobyl. Filled with inspiration, we’ll eat dinner together and discuss today’s experience and what awaits us in the morning. (B, L, D)

DAY 3-4 (18-19/9) – FULL DAYS OF EXPLORING CHERNOBYL After passing the first border check, we’ll continue under the guidance of Mats and our local guide into the inner zone. Our experienced guides will take you to some of the most famous places in the area, such as the Pripyat fairground with the iconic Ferris wheel, and also to areas that are less visited, such as the then top-secret military radar station, Duga, the abandoned bus station, old dilapidated neighbourhoods, Hotel Polissaya, restaurants and of course the Chernobyl nuclear power plant itself. It is an unreal and almost surreal feeling to wander among the abandoned streets and buildings that are increasingly taken over by nature to form a sort of urban wilderness. Whether we direct our cameras towards a doll in one of the empty houses, a snapshot of the long-abandoned port where the boats are slowly rusting, or the abandoned swimming pool, we will find eerie reminders of an area once filled with activity and lives.

During these days, Mats Andersson will be on hand to provide personal supervision, and we will also have several meetings together where Mats shows us how to use the surroundings and the light to build suitably atmospheric images. Mats will also provide a number of challenging photo assignments to challenge our creative thinking and develop your photography.

Back at the hotel, we’ll spend the evenings editing images. Mats will show you how he edits his images and enhances mood and atmosphere. There’s also plenty of time for personal guidance and individual editing sessions. We will also review the photo assignments with joint image evaluations and constructive image criticism from Mats. (B, L, D)

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Visit to the currently functioning nuclear power plant.

For those who wish to do so, you will have a unique chance to visit the inside of the nuclear power plant. You will be able to visit the parts of the power plant that are still in operation today, such as the control room for reactor two, the underground control centre and the new protective housing for the destroyed power plant. You will also have the opportunity to see the famous AZ5 button, which the operators of reactor four pressed far too late, triggering the world’s largest nuclear accident.

This optional tour takes about three hours and costs £140.

NOTE! Booking this additional activity must be made when booking the full trip. You also need to fill out and sign a document, as well as attach a copy of your passport to gain access to the facility.

DAY 5 (20/9) – LAST VISIT AND TRANSFER HOMEAfter breakfast, we’ll make a last visit to the inner zone to visit some of those who previously lived within the sealed-off areas and who now have moved back to their small houses and farms of their own accord. During the day, there will also be time for image editing and to select your best images before it’s time for Mats to select the best ‘Photo of the trip’ where the winner goes on to the final of our competition ‘Photo of the year’. In the afternoon we’ll head back to Kiev and the airport for further transport back home. (B, L)

September 16-20, 2020

Fly to Ukraine and Kiev on your own. As many of you prefer to book yourselves,we have chosen not to include this in theprice. For more information aboutflying to Kiev, look under the “Transport”-section.

DAY 1 (16/9) – WELCOME TO UKRAINE After arriving in Kiev in the afternoon, you will check in at our hotel where you will be met by Mats Andersson and a travel host from Zoom Photo Tours. During the evening we’ll enjoy a welcome dinner together in Kiev where you’ll have the opportunity to talk about our upcoming photo adventures. (D)

DAY 2 (17/9) – KIEV TO CHERNOBYL After breakfast we’ll leave our hotel in Kiev and travel to Chernobyl about 15 km from the capital. After arriving at Chernobyl, checking in at our hotel, and having lunch, we’ll spend the afternoon exploring the long-abandoned surroundings of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Among other things, we’ll visit some abandoned villages and meet some of those who previously lived in the sealed-off area, and who have moved back to their small houses and farms of their own accord.

Back at the hotel we’ll listen to an inspiring lecture by Mats where he’ll give top tips and advice for our upcoming days of photography in the inner zone of Chernobyl. Filled with inspiration, we’ll eat dinner together and discuss today’s experience and what awaits us in the morning. (B, L, D)

DAY 3-4 (18-19/9) – FULL DAYS OF EXPLORING CHERNOBYL After passing the first border check, we’ll continue under the guidance of Mats and our local guide into the inner zone. Our experienced guides will take you to some of the most famous places in the area, such as the Pripyat fairground with the iconic Ferris wheel, and also to areas that are less visited, such as the then top-secret military radar station, Duga, the abandoned bus station, old dilapidated neighbourhoods, Hotel Polissaya, restaurants and of course the Chernobyl nuclear power plant itself. It is an unreal and almost surreal feeling to wander among the abandoned streets and buildings that are increasingly taken over by nature to form a sort of urban wilderness. Whether we direct our cameras towards a doll in one of the empty houses, a snapshot of the long-abandoned port where the boats are slowly rusting, or the abandoned swimming pool, we will find eerie reminders of an area once filled with activity and lives.

During these days, Mats Andersson will be on hand to provide personal supervision, and we will also have several meetings together where Mats shows us how to use the surroundings and the light to build suitably atmospheric images. Mats will also provide a number of challenging photo assignments to challenge our creative thinking and develop your photography.

Back at the hotel, we’ll spend the evenings editing images. Mats will show you how he edits his images and enhances mood and atmosphere. There’s also plenty of time for personal guidance and individual editing sessions. We will also review the photo assignments with joint image evaluations and constructive image criticism from Mats. (B, L, D)

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Visit to the currently functioning nuclear power plant.

For those who wish to do so, you will have a unique chance to visit the inside of the nuclear power plant. You will be able to visit the parts of the power plant that are still in operation today, such as the control room for reactor two, the underground control centre and the new protective housing for the destroyed power plant. You will also have the opportunity to see the famous AZ5 button, which the operators of reactor four pressed far too late, triggering the world’s largest nuclear accident.

This optional tour takes about three hours and costs £140.

NOTE! Booking this additional activity must be made when booking the full trip. You also need to fill out and sign a document, as well as attach a copy of your passport to gain access to the facility.

DAY 5 (20/9) – LAST VISIT AND TRANSFER HOMEAfter breakfast, we’ll make a last visit to the inner zone to visit some of those who previously lived within the sealed-off areas and who now have moved back to their small houses and farms of their own accord. During the day, there will also be time for image editing and to select your best images before it’s time for Mats to select the best ‘Photo of the trip’ where the winner goes on to the final of our competition ‘Photo of the year’. In the afternoon we’ll head back to Kiev and the airport for further transport back home. (B, L)

PHOTOGRAPHER

PHOTOGRAPHER

MATS ANDERSSON • Art & Nature Photographer

Mats Andersson is a Swedish photographer who studied photo at the Industrial Art School in Gothenburg during the 1980s. This was followed by a job as Art Director and Photographer in the advertising industry. Since 1989 he has worked as an AD and Photographer at Concret Advertising in Jönköping, Sweden. Connected with photo agency Mascot in Stockholm since 2009 and elected to the prestigious Nature Photographers 2011. Over the years, Mats has managed to publish no less than 10 books, winning numerous awards including Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016, (Winner Black & White). Nordic Nature Photographer of the Year 2016 and Nature Photographer of the Year 2016.

FLIGHTS

You should book a flight to Kiev Ukraine so that you are at the hotel in Kiev around 18:00 on September 16 and the return journey should not be made until after 18:00 on September 20. If you want help with booking your flights, we are more than happy to assist with this. If you choose to arrive before the start of the program/stay after the end of the program, we are happy to help you book extra hotel nights. You are welcome to call us on +46 470 466 40 or notify us when you make the booking.

GROUP SIZE

In order for you to get personal photo guidance and the best experience with our photographer, our groups are always small. On this tour the minimum and maximum number of guests is 8-12.

PHOTO GEAR

DSLR or mirrorless camera.

Telephoto zoom lenses such as a 70-200mm.

Wide-angle lenses such as a 24 mm.

A laptop with editing software such as Photoshop, Lightroom or Affinity Photo.

Tripods are NOT allowed.

TOUR LEADER

Apart from an award-winning photographer, our tours are always accompanied by a tour leader from Zoom with good photo knowledge. Our tour leader will handle all logistics and general matters and make sure you have the best possible experience in Ukraine.

FLIGHTS

You should book a flight to Kiev Ukraine so that you are at the hotel in Kiev around 18:00 on September 16 and the return journey should not be made until after 18:00 on September 20. If you want help with booking your flights, we are more than happy to assist with this. If you choose to arrive before the start of the program/stay after the end of the program, we are happy to help you book extra hotel nights. You are welcome to call us on +46 470 466 40 or notify us when you make the booking.

GROUP SIZE

In order for you to get personal photo guidance and the best experience with our photographer, our groups are always small. On this tour the minimum and maximum number of guests is 8-12.

PHOTO GEAR

DSLR or mirrorless camera.

Telephoto zoom lenses such as a 70-200mm.

Wide-angle lenses such as a 24 mm.

A laptop with editing software such as Photoshop, Lightroom or Affinity Photo.

Tripods are NOT allowed.

TOUR LEADER

Apart from an award-winning photographer, our tours are always accompanied by a tour leader from Zoom with good photo knowledge. Our tour leader will handle all logistics and general matters and make sure you have the best possible experience in Ukraine.